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Synonyms

draw blood

Idioms  
  1. Injure someone physically or emotionally. For example, The bullet skimmed his shoulder and barely drew any blood, or That reviewer really knows how to draw blood. This term alludes to drawing blood for diagnostic purposes.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Earlier the jury was told that Ford and her family were not concerned about the dog scratch at the time because it did not draw blood, and she cleaned the cut with a wet wipe.

From BBC Mar. 5, 2026

Every other day, I went back to the fertility clinic so the staff could monitor my vitals and draw blood.

From Slate Jan. 2, 2025

Lucy Liu’s 9-year-old son, Rockwell, hasn’t seen his mother draw blood in “Charlie’s Angels” or “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and certainly not in “Kill Bill, Vol. 1.”

From New York Times Nov. 23, 2024

“Hacks,” however, makes the battle entertaining, even when the characters we love draw blood.

From Salon May 2, 2024

The only reason these guinea pigs weren’t dangerous— didn’t draw blood with their teeth and claws—was that they were practically domesticated.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

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